Hello Beautiful
by AMRLind
Summary: Galleons. That was the reason why he was doing this. Nothing more. The fact that she was part of the golden trio meant a big pay day for him. He needed to keep her safe in order to get paid. She needed to find a way out. She just didn't know when.
1. Chapter 1

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 1

He could hear them coming closer now. They apparated only seconds ago into the woods, but it didn't seem they were aware that they weren't alone. The group continued to debate over what just occurred at some man's house as they walked closer to their wards.

All of their yammering was starting to get to him. He just wanted the money that came with capturing this group of elusive nitwits. As they walked clumsily, he was able to hear the sound of three voices, one of which was female.

"This must be the same one," he thought to himself.

Ever since the winter night he smelled that perfume, he knew there was someone hiding in these woods. His group of snatchers had just found a small group of people who they could collect. Greyback insisted on carrying the child while one of the others carried the man. The group trumped through a passage in the clearing, and that's when he smelled it.

At first he thought he was imagining it but he became certain that it was perfume. He stood there for a while trying to see any form of movement, but there was nothing visible to his well trained eyes. He couldn't see her but he knew she was there somewhere.

That scent obviously belonged to a female, but in these troubled times who would wander around alone? She had to be with someone else or several people.

He had turned these thoughts over in his mind for several weeks following that night. He knew that whoever this female was, she was obviously hiding something or someone. He mulled all of the different possibilities in his mind over and over again. He was becoming slightly obsessed, as he couldn't stop thinking about the girl that he smelled in those woods.

After much debate with himself, he decided it was worth finding out whom or what she had been hiding since it meant gold in his pocket either way.

He managed to convince his group that there were more people to find in those woods. They gave him a fight about going back to those cold and dreary woods. They didn't think a couple of galleons were worth taking more trips into those "_bloody freezing woods_" as they cared to put it. Especially, since the odds were high that they might not even catch them in the same area again. The group would have to make multiple trips to find the girl and that didn't make his group happy at all.

After some days of arguing, his boys decided to go along with their leader and try and find this little chit. A couple of days later, his group went back to see if they could find her. They used Greyback's sense of smell to help them track the girl better.

However, it seemed it wouldn't be that difficult to locate her after all. He became intrigued even more when he came across something in the woods. He saw that the girl had left her scarf tied to a nearby tree. Carefully he untied it and gave it a quick sniff. Yes…this is the same girl as before.

"Same perfume," he thought.

"I was right. There_ is _more than one of 'em," he mused to himself while rubbing the fabric in between his thumb and index finger.

Obviously, she had left this behind so someone they lost, or wanted to be lost, would be able to find them again. Unfortunately for this little witch, his group wasn't as stupid as people cared to think they were. There were trackers, hunters. _Snatchers_. They did this for a living and now he was determined to catch every single one of these twits and start collecting. With any luck, he figured they could track them to a general location in the forest. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be to find them again.

"As a matter of fact", he thought "here they come now."

Breathlessly, he flattened himself against the tree so that they wouldn't see him as they walked by. He waited until they were slightly ahead of him before he made his presence known.

"Hello Beautiful," he calmly said while leaning against a tree, still running his fingers along her scarf, taunting her almost. All three jumped around at the sound of the man's voice.

He inwardly smirked at their nervousness and yelled out, "Well what are you waiting for then?" "Snatch 'em!"

So the chase began. He loves it when they run. The chase makes it all the more rewarding when he finally nabs them. All three of them were running away panicked and afraid. Ginger wasn't that hard to catch since he tripped over his own feet. It was the other two that were giving them a run for their money.

Especially that girl who was throwing spells at them every chance she got. After what seemed an eternity, the Snatchers finally had them surrounded.

By the time their leader got there Greyback had all three of them rounded up.

"What happened to you ugly?" he asked. It was only when Greyback turned to look at him, that he simply responded "No, not you."

The boys face was distorted but it was obvious it was a jinx. Everyone in the group was certain his face wasn't like that when they first apparated into the woods. What are they hiding? He looked around at the other two trying to figure out where he's seen them before.

The man knew something was off based on how nervous the girl was. The females are usually nervous around Greyback but this was different. She was worried about the boy with the mangled face. He could see her eyes darting back and forth between the boy and him.

"I know that look," saying to himself in amusement.

_Desperation._

The man decided to take the lead and take a closer look at the lad. He raised his wand towards his face and flicked his black bangs away to reveal a distorted scar of some sort. That's when everything clicked for him. He realized the gold mine they had just caught and it was all because of him!

"Change of plans." "We're taking this lot back to the manor."

With that being said, Greyback decided he better hold onto the boy with the mangled face. He wouldn't be able to get away from his grip. He was certain he was Potter. Which meant a hell of a lot of galleons to lose if he get's splinched somehow. The man knew he wouldn't get away from Greyback so he took hold of the girl and left the rest of the blokes to decide on who had ginger and who carried their stuff. They could be heard them arguing about who got to carry something of theirs. Something about a sword. He turned around to see two of them with their hands on the swords handle trying to wrestle it out of each other's grip.

"Somebody better take the bloody thing so we can get out of here," he said annoyed.

With that, the Snatcher on the right gave it one last yank away from his partner, threw him one last dirty look and took another bag. The other Snatcher turned away looking angry and dejected and grabbed his bag and reluctantly grabbed the red head. Within seconds, they all arrived at the front gate of the manor. He turned to see if Greyback had the boy. Luckily, the boy was still in one piece more or less. He took the girl and moved towards the gate in order to alert the owners that they had arrived. He knew they would be down in a few minutes.

"Now we wait," he said aloud.

**A/N:**

**Weeeeelll….what did you think? This is my first fanfic that I've ever written. So do be gentle with me! LOL **

**I was leaning towards a Fenrir/Mione but settled on Scab/Mione. I could do the other pairing later. **

**For now, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my story. I was thinking of doing a weekly update but that could change to a daily update depending on how fast I can write. **

**The pairing is going to progress but slowly. It wouldn't make sense if they just suddenly fell in love. I wanted to keep the integrity of the characters. **

**Read it and Review! Pretty please! Let me know what you think. **

**Even if it's a negative review! **

**Feel free to leave my story pointers, grammar, questions you might have, and spelling checks too if you want.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 2

The owners of the manor carefully made their way to the gate with their wands brandished reading for a fight. As the figures came closer, the more dread filled Hermione's stomach. She was uncertain as to where they had been taken but she knew it couldn't be anywhere good.

According to Ron, Snatchers were stupid and could be easily tricked but this one that's clutching her collar isn't as dumb as he seems. Hermione took a moment to look at the face of her captor and even though she couldn't see the color of his eyes she could see them staring at the gate in front of him.

She was pulled out of her observations when the small group of people came close enough to the gate so that their faces were illuminated by the tips of their wands. That's when Hermione instantly recognized the crazed face of Bellatrix Lestrange and instantly dread filled her stomach.

Hermione's thought began take her away from the voices of Bellatrix who was now speaking with the man who had her shirt in a death grip.

"This isn't good," she thought to herself. "Think Hermione. Think! You need to find a way out of this!"

She seemed to inwardly panic as no possible solution came to mind. Hermione couldn't understand why her mind was completely blank and tried to concentrate on her thoughts.

"Focus, you can't freak out. Not now. " she practically screamed to herself.

Frustrated, she realized that no matter how much she tried to focus on a way of escape she found herself too worried or panicked with what Bellatrix was going to do to them. Hermione knew that once they went inside of this mansion they might never come out.

"She's going to summon _Him_ and then we'll have limited time to get out," she thought feeling as if her stomach might betray her.

She was pulled out her thoughts when she felt herself being hoisted up from her neck by the man. The closer she was dragged to the massive manor the more despair seemed to fill her entire body.

She tried to turned around to look at Harry and Ron in an effort to make some sort of communication but was yanked roughly forward by her captor who was now grip her so hard his nails were digging into the bare skin of her clavicle.

Hermione couldn't even notice the pain as they walked through the main foyer of the manor and to a room she assumed was the dining room. Both Hermione and Ron were shoved into Greyback's hands when she noticed she had lost sight of Harry.

She heard the familiar voices of Draco and Lucius Malfoy mumbling something about Harry's identity but she couldn't hear them clearly. Luckily, their conversation caught the ears of Greyback who swung both her and Ron to face the direction of the voices. Bellatrix could be suddenly heard speaking to her nephew away from Hermione's line of sight.

"Don't be shy sweetie, come over. Now if this isn't who we think it is, Draco, and we call him, he'll kill us all. We need to be absolutely sure."

Draco turned to his aunt and asked, "What's wrong with his face?"

"Yes, what is wrong with his face?" she mused aloud as she turned to Hermione's former captor who was still wearing her scarf.

The man spoke up for the first time since they entered the manor. "He came to us like that, something he picked up in the forest I reckon."

For the first time they had arrived, Bellatrix turned her attention to Hermione and said, "Or ran into a stinging jinx. Was it you deary? Give me her wand; we'll see what her last spell was. Ah ha, I got you. Ha!"

Bellatrix suddenly stopped talking and the room became chillingly silent. All eyes followed her movements towards a lone Snatcher who was still clutching Griffindor's Sword in his dirty hands.

"Where did you get that?" asked Bellatrix in an unusually soft voice.

"We foun' it at their camp. They were tryin' to stash it away in their tent under a bunch of stuff but you'll let us keep it right?" the Snatcher said.

The rage that radiating off of Bellatrix in waves seemed to be increasing the more the young man talked but he didn't appear to notice. In fact, he was about the only one in the room that didn't notice that she was about to snap at any second.

"We found it fir-," the boy was interrupted mid-sentence when Bellatrix cast Serpensortia directly at him.

A snake was thrown around his throat tightly squeezing him strongly enough to bring him to his knees. With lightning fast reflexes, the crazed female Death Eater spun around and cast the same spell at the rest of the Snatchers including Hermione's previous captor. Just as quickly as it began it was over. Bellatrix released them from the spell and they all fled the room without another look.

Once again, Bellatrix turned her attention to Hermione and began to walk closer. Her posture was still in a defensive stance as if she was itching to pounce upon her prey.

Never taking her eyes away from Hermione's she said, "Cissy, put the boys in the cellar! I'm going to have a conversation with this one, girl to girl."

Hermione sensed the feeling of panic travel through her body and felt the hairs on her arm stand up. She looked on past Bellatrix in desperation and saw Harry and Ron being led down a stone staircase that was behind a rod iron gate by Narcissa Malfoy at wand point.

As soon as they heard the gate close behind them they began to slowly search in for a source of light. All the torches were out and it didn't seem that their situation was improving at all. Suddenly they heard a familiar voice speak out to them.

"Harry? Is that you?"

Harry and Ron were relieved to see that it was Luna Lovegood who was now walking towards them. She looked a little dirty and had some small cuts and bruises on her but still looked healthy. No sooner than she finished explaining how she got there did they hear an ear-splitting scream come from upstairs.

"Leave her alone!" Ron screamed hopelessly.

Harry stood up and reached in his pocket to grab the slab of mirror and looked into it in hopes he would see something that would help him.

It wasn't until he heard another long scream that he said into the mirror, "Help!"

For a second, Harry could've sworn he had seen a pair of familiar grey eyes but as soon as he saw them they disappeared. Looking up at Ron, Harry couldn't help but feel as if he let them down. Not just Hermione, who was being tortured, but everyone that was no doubt going to die in this dungeon because of him. Without warning, Dobby apparated with a popping noise into the dungeon.

Harry was so relieved to see him that he barely had time to register that he was being given instructions. He was being told to be ready at the top of the stairs in ten seconds. Ten seconds!

Back in the kitchens, Dobby was met by the Snatcher who had been waiting patiently for him to return while leaning against a wall. Dobby looked as if he was about to stun the Snatcher when he started speaking.

"Dobby is it?"

"Well, Dobby I have an idea and I was wondering if you might be willing to help," asked the man.

"Dobby is busy. Dobby must help Harry Potter and his friends escape," said Dobby

"I want the galleons that I was owed and I know you want to help Mr. Potter outta' this place."

"What do ya say to us helpin' each other out a bit, "asked the Snatcher.

"I will get my bloody galleons. I'm not going to be kept from getting paid because some Death Eater's got her panties in a twist," he quietly thought to himself.

The Snatcher was taken away from his thoughts as he heard the girl scream again. Hearing the screams, the house elf quickly thrust an object into his hand.

Before he could look down to see what it was he heard the elf explain some instructions to him.

"Keep it with you at all times. Harry Potter saved Dobby from a very cruel master and now Dobby must save Harry Potter. Maybe, Harry Potter can save you too."

With that, the house elf dissapparated just as the man was about to respond.

"Save? What do I have to be saved from other than debt," he thought aloud.

He looked down at his hand and immediately recognized the item he was just given. It was an enchanted coin. The elf meant to keep in contact with him. But what good was that going to do if he's to collect his payment?

"I just got scammed by a house elf."

**A/N:**

**HA! Chapter 2! I was able to finish much more quickly than I thought I would. Must be all of the story/favorites/and review alerts I've been getting!**

**Well, I took some lines from the movie in this chapter. Especially for Bellatrix. **

**I began to introduce the main plot of this story. It will start playing out by the next chapter. **

**Don't worry! Scabior and Hermione will be introduced to each other very soon. Formal introductions and all. You'll also be able to see Hermione's first thoughts on Scabior. Oooohh!**

**Thanks again for all of the support. It was a pleasant surprise. So, keep reviewing. Let me know what you think! :P**


	3. Chapter 3

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 3

The Snatcher just stood there trying to create a new plan that would enable him to get the money he felt he was owed. Unfortunately, every plan seemed to end with him being either killed, maimed, or fatally wounded by Bellatrix Lestrange who was currently having a temper tantrum in the other room.

Speaking of which, what is going on in there? He realized the uproar that was going on inside the Malfoy's massive dining rom. The room was filled with the sound of curses and spells being thrown around between several people.

The sound of heavy glass crashing to the floor is what made him move his legs. He traveled to the opposite side of the kitchen where he could use an extendable ear that he nicked from Mundungus Fletcher. Once he was able to position the ear against the door he was able to catch part of a conversation.

"You stupid elf! You could have killed me!" screamed the deranged witch.

"Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim, or seriously injure!" the man heard the familiar voice of the house elf he was speaking to mere seconds ago.

"What the bloody hell is goin' on now?" he asked himself aloud.

The Snatcher opened the door as quietly as he could in order to see what was going on. He peered through a crack in the door in time to see Bellatrix throwing a knife at the golden trio and Dobby as they disapparated.

"Now how the hell am I gonna' get paid? There's no way Bellatrix is going to pay me for just droppin; Potter and his friends off," he thought.

Seeing that the scuffle was over for now, the man quietly closed the door and made his way to the back of the kitchen and apparated outside in order to get his team who were still waiting for him. Once his feet hit the pavement, he made a run for it going past his group of Snatchers who began after him. The small group hit the line of the woods that surrounded the Manor and apparated back to their camp which was still in Albania.

Having made sure that they were alone, the group made it back to their camp which was then magically sealed once inside. They tried asking leader what the next move was but he just went to his tent without another word to anyone and took out the enchanted coin out of his left coat pocket. He turned it over in his hands several times waiting for any sign of communication. Even after what felt like an eternity, there still was no response.

She didn't know where they were. All she could see was Harry clutching the dying body of Dobby who had just saved their lives from Voldemort who was most likely torturing his Death Eaters for losing Harry Potter once again.

Harry looked over to Ron and Hermione in desperation and yelled, "Help me!"

For what felt like the millionth time that day, Hermione did not know what to do. She just remained kneeling on the wet sand clutching her left forearm and let the shudder of sadness pass through her in waves.

"This is a nice place to be with friends," said the house elf as he passed.

As everyone cried, Luna calmly walked over to Harry and said in a gently voice, "Think we should close his eyes."

She waited for Harry to nod an okay for her to do so, and then reached over and closed Dobby's eyes.

"There, now he could be sleeping," she said in a calming tone.

Everyone seemed to make fun of Luna at school but when it all comes down to it she could be a fairly logical and caring witch. Harry stated he wanted to give him a proper burial without magic. No sooner did he say this when two figures began to run towards them. As they got closer their group felt relief consume them as they discovered it was Bill and Fleur.

It wasn't until then did Hermione realize how much pain she was actually in. She recognized the shudders that she was currently having as a result of the Cruciatus Curse. Everything seemed to be flying past her and before she knew it, they were preparing Dobby for burial.

Fleur went back to the house to find a sheet for Dobby while Hermione made sure his body was laid out nicely. Bill was leading Griphook and the others back to the cottage to take care of their injuries and she knew he would return to help her as well but wanted to make sure Dobby was taken care of.

She straightened out the piece of cloth that he wore as clothes and saw the outlines of something familiar in the hemming of his pocket. Reaching inside for it, she instantly recognized the object to be an enchanted coin. She had created these back in their fifth year in order to communicate with Dumbledore's Army.

"How could Dobby have one of the coins I made in fifth year?" she mused.

Did one the DA members given him one? The only other option that she could think of was that he got this coin from Draco Malfoy. She remembered how he had copied her idea in order to help the Death Eaters in break into Hogwarts. Maybe he stole it from Malfoy?

"I wonder who he could've been keeping in touch with. He must have been keeping it to talk with members of the Order. That must've been how Bill and Fleur knew were coming," she thought to herself.

She could see Fleur heading towards her in the distance and pocketed the coin in her charmed purse. She would figure out why he had the coin later. It could come in handy for them in their quest. Now, it was time to put their friend to rest.

After the burial, the group was lead inside the cozy sea-side cottage by the newlyweds. They were told to rest and worry about everything in the morning.

Hermione's head felt like it was about to implode as she was led to her temporary bedroom. Her very own bed! She would finally be able to sleep in a proper bed instead of a cot for the first time in months. As she sat on the edge of the bed relishing in the feeling of the soft quilt underneath her she felt a burning sensation against her thigh.

She looked down at her leg but couldn't see anything that led to the source of the heat. She began to pat her coat down and felt a sting on her left hand as she located the source. Unable to touch it, she levitated the object into the air and knew that someone was attempting to contact her through the coin.

"No! Not me, Dobby. Whoever is trying to make contact with me still believes Dobby is still living," she thought.

The numbers on the edge of the coin read April 23rd at 9:00 p.m. Who could this be? She was scared to communicate with whoever it was but was too curious for her own good.

"April 23rd, that's tomorrow, if I'm counting correctly." "Where's a good place to meet around here," she asked herself.

Thinking of a good spot, she used the coin to tell the person to meet her at the woods near Tinworth, in Cornwall which was very close to the cottage. In fact, those woods were a mere 100 yards from the cottage's wards. If it was a trap, she would be close enough to apparate back into the wards of Shell Cottage and give everyone a chance to get out if necessary.

The next day came and went a little too slowly for Hermione. She became anxious with every passing minute. She could easily tell Harry and Ron about the coin and they would accompany her without any issues. However, since their capture by the Snatchers she was feeling quite disappointed in herself. If this was a trap, she would find a way out this time. Hopefully, she wouldn't freeze like she did the last two times.

Finally night came, but no one went to sleep early like the night before. It was going on 9:23 and everyone was still up and about because Remus had stopped by to tell everyone about the good news. Tonks had a healthy baby boy who showed no signs of lycanthropy but instead seemed to be a metamorphmagus.

Needing to get to the woods, she excused herself from the celebration stating that she still didn't feel right. She made up an excuse stating that she was still feeling the effect of the cruciatus curses and made her way to her up to her bedroom. She locked her door and carefully exited the room through the window. She began to scale the cottage wall, and realized how high up she was.

"I really should have thought this out earlier," she thought as she tried not to look down again.

She was careful not to get in the view of the window directly below her own which is where everyone was currently sitting enjoying their drinks. Once her feet landed on the ground, she made a run for the woods.

She probably walked a half mile deep into the woods and there was still no sign of anyone. Hermione came to a clearly and stood in the same spot turning around with her illuminated wand, searching for someone.

"I must be mad to be risking everyone's safety like this," she thought.

She convinced herself that the person already left and started to turn back to the cottage. It was almost 10:00 now and she was worried that someone might try to check on her. Seeing that she was not in her room, everyone would surely begin to panic and come searching for her. How would she be able to explain why she decided to bound around in the woods after everything that's happened?

"Look what we have here," she heard.

Spinning around, she could feel her stomach drop as she recognized that voice. Hermione knew that voice from the other day.

"What're you doing out here all by yourself beautiful," the man asked.

She still couldn't see him and said, "Who's there? Where are you?"

The figure moved into the light of Hermione's wand in order for her to confirm that it was in fact the Snatcher that took them to Malfoy Manor. Hermione felt the familiar feeling of fear enter her body but willed it away in her determination to stay focused.

"You? How did you get that coin? Did you knick that from Dobby? Surely he didn't give it to you!" she said in a mocking tone.

"As a matter of fact," he said "The elf _gave_ it to me back at the manor."

"Dobby gave you this coin? Why would he give you this? You're lying!" she said in indignation.

She was furious that this snatcher would insinuate that Dobby was some sort of traitor to the Order. Dobby would never betray Harry for some random wannabe Death Eater. He was a loyal house elf!

"I don't know why the elf gave it to me now do I darling'?" said the man.

"What's your name?" she asked never taking her wand away from his face.

"I'm in need of payment and the elf gave me the coin," he said ignoring her request. "I assumed he gave it to me because he was going to try and find a way of payin' me back since he took my catch," he said.

At hearing this, Hermione went from being angry to wanting to rip his eyes out.

"Payment? Payment for what? Dobby didn't owe a galleon and I certainly don't owe you anything!" she practically screamed at him.

"Well, I better be getting' paid somehow sweetheart." "I'm currently out 100,000 galleons since I couldn't cash in on Potter," he retorted.

"That's what this meeting is about!" "You feel cheated because we got away and you didn't get paid?" she asked.

He looked at her strangely before speaking again, "That's right'." "Now that it's clicked in your head, how shall we settle this?"

"You better come up with something because you're not going to be able to get away from me now beautiful," he said taking a step close to her while stroking her scarf the was still wrapped around his neck.

"I want my money and I won't be cheated. Not again," he said in a stony voice not giving her a chance to respond.

Hermione didn't know what to do or say to this man. He seemed unreasonable when it comes to money. She was brought out of her thoughts to hear him speaking to her once again.

"To answer your question the name's Scabior. That's what _you_ can call me anyway. Nice to properly meet you! It's a bit overdue if you ask me, don't you think, Miss Clearwater," he said with a smirk.

Hermione just stood there trying to process all of the information that was just given to her. Scabior? What kind of a name is that? She knew he wasn't going to let her get away again he had too much determination in his eyes this time.

"Hermione! Where are you!"

She could hear the voices of the Weasley family and Harry Potter screaming after her. They were coming closer now; she could see the tips of their wands searching for any signs of their friend. Hermione turned back to Scabior who was still staring at her with a glint in his eye.

"Well," he said "you better think of something fast beautiful."

**A/N:**

**Holy crap! I love writing this story! It makes me feel so much better even though I'm sick with a cold. :( ****I wanted to say a quick sorry to my readers. I was having an issue with downloading the other day and that's why some of you might have gotten multiple story alerts. You might get one today too! :( I'll be careful about that from now on! **

**Special notice to all of the Fenrir/Hermion fans out there...I will be writing a fic about them soon. I've already started working out the plot. :)**

**Now onto "Hello Beautiful."**

**So, as you can see the pair finally got to meet. It wasn't too much of a wait though.**

**It's going to take both characters some time to get over their differences but they will eventually get together. Do I see lemons in the future? :P**

**Their relationship will progress slowly and will coincide with book from now on. Once again, I've used some lines from the movie for the fight in Malfoy Manor but I'm sure you guys don't mind!**

**The next chapter will continue with Hermione trying to figure out how to get rid of Scabior. You'll also get to see what their first thoughts on each other.**

**Get to reviewing folks! Add a story alert, and any favs you might wish. I do love seeing those when I wake up in the morning!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 4

Hermione was running out of options as her friends made their way through the woods. They were getting closer every second.

"Come back in a day" she said, "and I should have something figured out. Meet me here at the same time. You need to leave before they see you," Hermione said in a hurried voice while looking over her shoulder.

Noticing the group was getting closer Scabior responded, "Fine, but you betta' come through sweethear'."

With that said, Scabior disapparated and left Hermione standing there trying to run different plausible explanations to tell her friends.

"Hermione!" Harry yelled once he saw her figure come into view.

"She's over here," yelled Ron back at his brother and sister-in-law.

The question came at once and they never seemed to end. Harry and Ron seemed to be taking turns worrying about and managed not to breathe the entire time.

"Hermione are you alright?"

"What's happened?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Was it a Death Ea-?"

She didn't let Harry ask his last question and stated, "I'm alright. What's going on?"

Hermione figured that if she played the entire situation as a misunderstanding they might just drop it and leave her be. She barely had enough time to set up her plan mentally when another set of questions came flying her way. This time they were from Ron whose face was currently turning a bright scarlet.

"What's wrong! We've been looking for you everywhere. Fleur went to your room to see if you were alright and when you didn't answer she got the rest of us"

Barely having enough time to open her mouth Ron continued with his interrogation.

"We saw your room was empty but saw your bedroom window open so we figured maybe you left."

"I'm definitely going to have to think these things through from now on. How could I have been so stupid as to leave my window open," she reflected.

"Well, for your information, I did leave on my own accord, Ronald. I needed some fresh air and wanted to be alone. After everything's that's happened I just needed some time to myself."

"You should have said something to us, Mione," Ron getting agitated, "You should have at least given us a heads up."

"I can take care of myself and I don't need looking after!"

Wanted to make sure she was alright was one thing but now Ron seemed to be suggesting that she is constantly getting herself into trouble.

"Like bloody hell you don't! You're about as clumsy as it gets these days."

"Clumsy! What exactly does that mean?" Hermione said practically screaming.

"Guys this isn't exactly the best time to be doing this," said Harry.

"Harry's right you two," Bill intervened, "We should be making preparations. Harry's found out some information from Griphook that would really help you guys on your mission."

"Listen," said Bill raising his arms out towards the fighting couple, "Why don't we all just head back to the cottage and we can talk about it there. It's getting late and we should get back inside the wards."

Hermione was so infuriated with Ron that she didn't say another word and instead had Bill lead her back to their temporary home. The entire walk she tried to block out the sound of Fleur's voice stating how worried they all were and the feeling of Ron's eyes boring into her back.

Once inside the warmth of Shell Cottage, Hermione took a seat in the living room and listened to Harry's story about how Griphook finally agreed to help them break into Gringotts. They decided on the date of May 1st which was in seven days. They only had a week to figure out a way of breaking into Bellatrix Lestranges' vault.

Finally all of the pieces fell into place. That's how she could pay Scabior his money! They could complete their quest for the Horcruxes without the fear of being snatched. For the first time in a couple of days Hermione felt quite pleased with herself and allowed a smile to grace her features. The feeling didn't last for long when she saw eight pairs of eyes on her.

Hastily she asked, "Has Griphook supplied any ideas yet?"

"He said he knows how to open Bellatrix's vault but how we actually get into and out of Gringotts will be up to us. There's only one real problem. Griphook wants the sword once we get out," said Harry timidly.

No one else in the room seemed to be as shocked as she was since they were already aware of this hitch in the plan. Detecting a hint of disapproval from Hermione, Harry added in a low voice, "Don't worry I'll explain later. I've got something figured out."

Not wanting to argue, Hermione said good night to everyone except for Ron who she ignored. Exhausted, she changed for bed and laid down thinking she would go to sleep. When her head hit the pillow, she couldn't help but think of Scabior.

He was the strangest sight she has ever seen in the wizarding community. He wasn't the tallest man but he still managed to tower over her. She noticed his hair first. She could almost laugh as she thought about it now. Scabior's hair as a brown tangled, wild mess that made her's look sleek and smooth.

Hermione's thoughts began to drift to the color of his eyes which were a pale blue/grey. They were cold when she first met him in Albania but tonight they had fire behind them. She knew he couldn't be trusted and was unsure how to react towards him. His behavior and what he did for a living was unnerving. How could someone be so cruel as to hunt and capture people just because of their blood status?

"You can't forget who you're dealing with. To him, you're just another Mudblood. I have to be prepared the next time I see him," were Hermione's last thoughts before falling asleep.

The next day was spent working on a plan to break into Gringotts. Hermione decided to push aside and resentment she had towards Ron from yesterday and work together. The trio worked the entire day only taking breaks to eat and use the restroom.

The group finally decided to call it a night and work out their plan some more tomorrow. Hermione figured if she left for the woods now she would be get there early and surprise Scabior for a change. Then again, she would have been early if Ron wasn't waiting for her by her bedroom door.

"Ron, I'm not in the mood right now. I just want to get some sleep," Hermione said in an irritated voice which she knew from experience always worked with him.

"I'm not trying to start a fight, Mione. I just wanted to say sorry for last night. I don't want you thinkin' I'm a total prat," he said.

"I don't think you're a prat Ron," she couldn't be mean to him no matter how hard she tried, "Thank you for the apology. I'm going to go to bed now. It's been a long day."

"Right," he said in an upbeat tone after hearing her say everything was alright between them again "See ya' tomorrow, Mione."

After she closed and locked her door she made her way out of her bedroom window this time making sure to close it behind her. She looked down at her watch, and saw a time of 9:03 and knew he would be there before her once again.

Hermione made her way to the clearing, and could see Scabior already standing there waiting for her.

She stood directly in front of him with her wand drawn.

"So sweethear', what's the plan then," asked Scabior with a dark look in his eye.

"I'll be able to get your money to you in a week's time. I know where I'm getting your money from I just have to work on a solid plan to get it to you," Hermione said hoping this explanation would be enough for him for now.

"I'll give ya' a week then," he said turning to leave.

"I have some regulations I would like to put in place," as soon as Hermione said this Scabior spun back around to face her, "Once I give you the money I don't your group of Snatcher hunting the three of us down."

"I just want my money in my hands, sweetheart," said Scabior.

With nothing more to say, Scabior disapparated leaving Hermione to stand in the woods by herself once again wondering why she was even bothering to go along with this silly plan.

"That little chit has some nerve demanding terms from me. Who the bloody hell does that Mudblood think she is?"

Scabior had no intentions to uphold to any sort of agreement. As far as he was concerned, he never actually agreed to anything which meant he could do as he pleased.

"I'll wait for her to give me the money and then we'll go on the hunt for them again. Bellatrix doesn't have to know that we already got paid for them does she?" he thought.

"Alright boys," he said getting the attention of his team, "we're going to get our money soon and if we play it righ' we'll get double that."

"How'd you manage that boss?" asked one of the Snatchers.

"The Mudblood. Think she fancies me," said Scabior with a wink as he walked to his tent.

When he was in his tent he placed the enchanted coin on a shelf and then as he laid down on his cot he realized that he found that little brat attractive. She did dress in strange muggle clothes. Scabior liked how wild she looked in the moonlight and her eyes. He loved those chocolate brown eyes. Nothing would ever come from something like that though. She merely made his pants a little tight.

"Not bad for a Mudblood anyway," he said a loud to no one in particular, "I just have to wait for a week and I can get paid."

**A/N:**

**Tada! Chapter 4! This chapter came out pretty fast. I didn't think I would be updating until Friday or Saturday. **

**ziona3000: As you can see you guessed right! I thought it would be more logical for her to get the money once inside Gringotts. **

**I didn't focus so much on Scabior's point of view in this one mainly because he doesn't feel that there is much to Hermione's in the first place. He just sees money when he looks at her right now. That will change though! **

**The next chapter will focus on the break-in at Gringotts which will follow the book with a few tweaks on Hermione's part. Scabior's going to scam her in a devious sort of way. :P Poor Hermione!**

**Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favs! ****Keeps up my momentum. **


	5. Chapter 5

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 5

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Hermione was afraid of changing into the clothes and using that woman's wand. She knew how silly she must sound but she didn't want to turn into Bellatrix Lestrange. She kept worrying that she wouldn't be able to pull it off and all the time spent on their plan would have been for nothing. She was too busy with her worry to notice Harry had been talking but she wasn't paying much attention.

Sh picked up Bellatrix's wand saying, "I hate this thing. I really hate it. It feels all wrong, it doesn't work properly for me… It's like a bit of _her_."

Ron tried to help her feel better by suggesting to focus on getting into character and the wand would help her. She didn't want to hear it right now all she could focus on was how many people were hurt with this wand.

As she looked down at the wand, she could hear herself saying something about how this wand killed Sirius and regretted it instantly upon seeing Harry's expression. Harry didn't seem to dwell on it so they moved on to speak to Griphook. Hermione didn't agree with bartering Griffindor's Sword but knew Harry wouldn't just leave that with anyone. That was another one of their many problems; How were they going to trick the goblin? Most importantly, how was she going to get all the galleons she needed without anyone noticing? As her head hit the pillow, her thoughts went to the Snatcher who was responsible for her new life as a bank robber.

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Awaking early the next morning, she forced herself to gulp down the Polyjuice Potion and couldn't believe the disgusting taste. Now that the potion had taken effect, they needed to move as quickly as possible. Hermione made her way across the lawn and met up with Harry and Ron who had everything ready to go. Once Hermione transformed Ron's appearance to turn into some random wizard, they began walking past the wards and Disapparate.

Within seconds, they found themselves standing in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Seeing that Harry was still currently under the Invisibility Cloak with Griphook on his shoulders the group walked into the pub.

"Madame Lestrange," said Tom to Hermione.

"Good Morning," she said and tried her best to ignore the surprised look on the landlord's face.

Their small group wasn't planning on staying at the small inn but was passing through their backyard to get to Diagon Alley. Hermione couldn't believe what had become of the shops in Diagon Alley. They were deserted except for some beggars claiming that they really were wizards. That's when she heard it.

"Why, Madame Lestrange!"

Walking towards them was a wizard, who according to Griphook who was on Harry's shoulders was Travers. Hermione wasn't quite sure who he was but remembered Harry's instructions; she needed to treat people more like scum!

"And what do you want?" she said.

This was clearly the wrong thing to say because the man stopped dead in his tracks and look insulted. Apparently, Griphook didn't mention that this man was another Death Eater and knew Bellatrix.

"I merely sought to greet you, but if my presence is not welcome…" Travers responded.

"Just great!" she thought.

"No, no, not at all, Travers. How are you?"said Hermione in an attempt to recover the conversation.

"Well, I heard that the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were confined to the house, after the…ah…escape."

"Dammit," she thought, "If that's true, then I'm not even supposed to be walking around."

"The Dark Lord forgives those who have served him most faithfully in the past. Perhaps your credit is not as good with him as mine is, Travers."

Hermione thought that should shut him up and he would go back to doing whatever he was doing in Diagon. Regrettably, Hermione's judgment hasn't exactly been on point lately.

Travers kept going with the question. According to him, Bellatrix was rumored to have had her wand stripped from her by the Dark Lord himself. Hermione was forced to save face by revealing Bellatrix's wand hoping that this act would be enough to finally silence the Death Eater. Travers just didn't know how to take a hint.

His newest interest was Ron who was under a disguise as a wizard named Dragomir Despard. Hermione knew that she needed to rid of Travers. So she tried excusing herself stating that she had to go to Gringotts, but Travers decided he wanted to make it a date.

Hermione never truly noticed what an intimidating sight Gringotts could be. Walking inside the bank, they received some looks as they walked up to an old goblin, which stopped counting galleons upon seeing Hermione.

"Time for another performance," thought Hermione.

Hermione told the goblin behind the counter that she wished to enter Bellatrix's vault but everyone within earshot seemed to recoil.

"You have…identification?" asked the goblin.

Since when do they ask for identification? Why would he ask for indentification to my own vault? Hermione felt herself beginning to panic.

"Identification? I – I have never been asked for identification before!" she responded hoping to sound convincing.

That's when she heard Griphook's rasping voice speak to Harry.

"They know! They must have been warned there might be an imposter!"

The goblin behind the counter remarked that the only way to check for her identification was to examine her wand.

"Act now, act now. The Imperious Curse!" whispered Griphook.

Before Hermione knew it, both the goblin behind the counter and Travers were now complimenting her new wand; their looks went from suspicion to admiration in a matter of seconds. Ignoring her shock, she asked if they could now be escorted to her vault.

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"Finally!" she thought as they made down to the Lestrange vault.

While passing her, Harry whispered that their group was suspected and they needed to move quickly. After dodging some goblins in an outer chamber, they were able to make it deep within the bank. All Hermione could think while they traveled further into Gringotts was, "Why would someone's vault be this far in the bank? It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."

Hermione couldn't believe the sight. There was a large dragon tethered down to protect four of the five deepest vaults in Gringotts. It was obvious that the poor thing was blind.

"How long has it been down here?" she wondered feeling sorry for the dragon.

Harry was now using the Imperius curse to make one of the goblins open the vault. Standing in front of the giant doors, Hermione began to silently coach herself.

"Alright, Hermione. This is it. You have to be quick and just grab every coin you see."

Once the doors were opened they began their search. Hermione was aware of their time constraint so she magically picked up a stacks of galleons whilst pretending to search for the Horcrux and placed them in her charmed purse.

If her calculations were correct she had all of the galleons she needed…probably even more. Suddenly, she saw an outline of a cup out of the corner of her eye.

"Harry, could this be - ? Aargh!"

Hermione couldn't help but drop the cup on the floor as it burnt her hand. After clanking on the ground, the cup magically doubled in numbers.

"They have added Gemino and Flagrate Curses!" said Griphook.

Hermione knew what those curses were and understood that it was going to make their search much more complicated than they had envisioned. If they continued touching anything they would be burnt and the objects will multiply.

Unexpectedly, she heard Harry scream, "It's there, it's up there!"

She tried using _Accio_ even though the goblin said it would be no use. Hermione still didn't trust him. She decided if the cup couldn't come to them they had to get to the cup.

Hermione casted _Levicorpus_ and hoisted Harry towards their goal; they needed to act fast. Harry was trying to use the sword and scoop up the cup. Before she knew what was going on, they were waist deep into the burning object trying to keep the goblin that escorted them, from sinking underneath.

"Hurry up! Just grab the cup already." Hermione thought as Harry carefully took the cup.

As soon as they took the cup, they made a run for the outer chamber and when he got the chance, Griphook swiped the sword from Harry and made a dash for it.

"Thieves! Thieves! Help! Thieves!" screamed Griphook.

Seeing the crowd of goblins who turned around at the sound of Griphook's voice, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all began stunning anything that moved.

The dragon became startled hearing all of the commotion and began roaring. Seeing it as the only way out, Harry released it from the chains and began to climb on with Hermione and Ron following his lead.

Hermione wasn't too fond of flying on top of a blind dragon but got on. She knew they wouldn't be able to get out of the front doors now. The ceiling was getting to low for the dragon to walk through without hurting itself so Hermione so she cast, "Defodio!" at the ceiling.

They golden trio were able to break through the main part of the bank and before they knew it they were flying. Flying for what seemed like hours, days even. Hermione couldn't help but cry as the dragon made its way higher into the sky. She was terrified of heights and there was no way to get off.

"Is it just me or are we losing height," yelled Ron.

"When it gets low enough let's jump off," Harry responded.

That's all she had to hear and she felt like she was going to be sick. Once the dragon got close enough to the water they got off and jumped into the lake.

Sitting on the bank near the water Hermione couldn't help but feel sorry for the dragon. He looked so helpless out here by himself.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" she thought out loud.

"You sound like Hagrid. It's a dragon Hermione. It can take care of itself. It's us we need to worry about," said Ron.

Hermione was only half listening and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well I don't know how to break this to you," he started, "but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts."

She just sat there, looking between Harry and Ron and then she felt it. Something that she hadn't felt in quite some time. She felt the long lost feeling of laughter traveling from her stomach all the up to her mouth where it finally escaped.

Sobering up, Hermione voiced her concern about Voldemort.

"He'll know, won't he?"

Ron seemed convinced that the Death Eaters might be willing to cover up another one of their rising mistakes. That's when she noticed Harry in somewhat of a trance. She had seen him like this so many times before that she knew Harry was seeing into Voldemort's mind. Hermione and Ron just sat there waiting patiently.

While waiting for Harry, Hermione sent a message to Scabior saying she had his money. The only problem…she didn't know where she was. She would have to go to him.

Abruptly, he sent her a message saying to meet him in the woods they first met. Another problem presented itself; how was she going to leave Ron?

"Ron, I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

"Do you need me to-?"

"No, no, Ron that's fine. Thanks anyway."

As soon as Hermione was out of his eye range she apparated to see Scabior. She looked around her and couldn't see his figure anywhere.

"Why does he always do this?" she thought out loud.

"Because I love the way your face looks when you're scared sweetheart."

Turning around, Hermione spotted Scabior standing behind her with his hands in his pockets looking rather bored.

"Do you 'ave my money?" he asked her.

"Yes. It's all here." said Hermione as she levitated the galleons to Scabior.

While waiting for Scabior to count his money she noticed the sun had already set and she said, "Now, if you don't mind. I have to get back. They're waiting for me."

"Not so fast darlin'," Scabior said without looking up "I'm still missing most of my money."

"What? I've paid you what Harry is worth. 100,000 galleons is the price on his head." she said practically screaming.

Hermione had had enough of this man. She had more important things to worry about than being chased by some stupid Snatcher. Harry and Ron were probably freaking out wondering where she had gone. Now this!

"No, no, no. I never agreed to that amount. I wanted the money that I'm owed for you and Ginger as well. I caught all three of you that night."

She didn't like the look in his eyes now. Hermione couldn't clearly see his face but could see even in the darkness that the light in his eyes had changed. His posture seemed to have gone from laid-back to a menacing predator.

He was slowly advancing on her when he said, "I told you not to try and pull any tricks. Now how do you plan on paying me the rest of my money now? The sun has already set and you're running outta' time fast beautiful."

"I have artifacts," she spat out uncontrollably, "A locket, and a cup. I'm going to get more soon."

She could charm the former Horcruxes to look brand new once they destroyed them and he wouldn't know the difference.

"Great. The more that I'm around this guy the more I begin to think like him."

Hermione wasn't sure if she minded being around him all that much. He was dangerous…and he worked for _Him_ but she liked the look in his eyes when he would first look at her. She was brought of her thoughts when she saw how close he was now standing to her.

"What were you thinkin' about just now, love? Not trying to cheat me again are you?" he said while playing with some strands of her hair.

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**A/N:**

**This was a seriously long chapter! Mainly because my fic is sticking more to the book than it was before. It was going to be much longer but I wanted the story to be lengthier.**

**Scabior is a little sneak isn't he? Poor Hermione, she actually thought it was going to be that easy.**

**The next chapter should be up pretty soon…it's almost done now as we speak. **

**Also, the next chapter for Silvatacus will be up soon as well. I'm going to keep writing through the Christmas and New Years' Holidays. I might post both stories at the same time. **

**Let me know what you guys are thinking of the story so far! Review! Pretty Please! :] **

**Oh…and a big THANK YOU to everyone that's added my fic to an alert. There's been so many that I just wanted to say that I appreciate it. **


	6. Chapter 6

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 6

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He was standing to close to her now. She didn't want to look at his face because he was so close to her own. In fact, she was pretty sure he was smelling her hair. Wait! He really is sniffing at her hair.

"You're going to be my favorite," he said whilst leering at her.

Hermione backed up as quickly as her feet would take her and said, "No, I'm not going to cheat you. I brought you money. That should be good enough for you for now."

"No," said Scabior mimicking Hermione's tone, "that's not good enough for now."

"If you're not going to give me anything right now then I need something as interest." he said with a more serious tone.

Little did Harry or Ron know but she had swiped some jeweled goblets and a crown that she had seen on a skull in Bellatrix's vault. Hermione didn't take these things out of greed but out of necessity. She had lost count of the galleons a few times and took these objects as a precaution.

Slowly she reached inside of her charmed purse and pulled out the antiques and displayed them in her hands for him to see.

"Well, well, well. Look who's been holding out on me!" said Scabior as he walked up to Hermione.

He greedily looked over the objects one by one and examined them closely. Hermione couldn't believe how greedy this man was. He was probably the most unbearable person she has even met…besides Ron of course.

Scabior stood there with his wand illuminated carefully examining his newest finds and Hermione couldn't help but feel at ease. She noticed that she had this odd sensation to appease him. Every time he would compliment her or call her beautiful she would get this knot in her stomach and she would swell with pride.

"I really need to over-come my people pleasing personality." thought Hermione.

Hermione looked up to see Scabior staring at her with an inquisitive look. The two of stood there for a minute or two before she finally had enough of waiting.

"Will this be enough for your payment?"

"Well," he started, "not quite. The going rate for a Mudblood or a blood-traitor like your boyfriend is 2,000 galleons each depending on their family. But you and your boyfriend aren't just any catch. They were going to pay me 10,000 for each of you."

Scabior knew he wasn't being completely truthful with the girl but he didn't care. In reality, he was told he would only be getting 10,000 galleons for both of them. He figured if he could more money out of the Granger girl the better. If she fell for it, he would be a very rich man who wouldn't have to depend on catching runts for a long time.

"20,000 galleons! These objects are from the Lestrange family vault! Surely, these have to be worth that if not more."

"You stole these from Bellatrix Lestrange?" asked Scabior in an amused tone, "You surprise me more and more every day. I seem to be wearing off on you sweetheart."

"You – are, are doing no such thing." said Hermione in an unconvincing tone.

Hermione continued speaking and ignored Scabior's chuckle, "I told you before that I merely want assurance that my friends and I can continue our quest without any interference from you."

That's when it hit her. Harry and Ron must be at their wits end by now. Hermione looked down at her watch as saw that she has been gone for 27 minutes. She needed to get back now!

"I can get you two more objects that are virtually priceless but I won't have them until after we finish our quest. I need to get back to my friends."

Scabior gave her a questioning look and asked, "Quest…how long is this quest going to take?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

He didn't know what to do. He was quite aware that he could cash in this lot and make a fortune but his greed took over him.

"Fine. Since you asked so nicely, I'll wait a bit longer for you, beautiful. But…I expect daily contact from you."

"Yes, yes," Hermione said impatiently turning to leave, "I need to go."

When she didn't hear his response she turned back around and saw that he had already left. Just before apparating, she thought she felt someone grab hold of the hem of her shirt but couldn't see anyone. After apparating back, Hermione withdrew her wand and spun around to see if anyone had done a side-long apparition but there was not a soul around.

Walking back she wondered why she kept going through with it all. It wasn't worth all the trouble. Not to keep a bunch of stupid and greedy Snatchers off their backs. She knew she was gone much too long and might not be able to properly explain this to her friends this time.

How was she planning on giving Scabior the locket, and the Horcrux they were currently hunting? All of these questions swarmed her mind as she walked back to the spot where she left Ron and Harry.

Looking up in surprise, she saw Scabior starring at her with a smirk on his face. He was the one she felt clinging on to her shirt. How did he come up behind her without her hearing him and get to camp before her? Scabior had three of his men with him who had bound Harry and Ron and were pointing their wands at them menacingly.

"Did you really think I would fall for that girly? I gave you your chance to pay up and now I've come to collect."

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**A/N:**

**Scabior is still up to his sneaky ways. Hehe! I love writing Scabior's character! **

**I was originally going to end this chapter in a completely different way! But I wasn't happy with it at all and decided to go for something else.**

**I had read in an interview with Nick Moran (the actor who plays Scabior in DH) that there were quite a few deleted scenes with the Snatchers. One of which, Scabior smells Hermione's hair and tells her that she's going to be his favorite. As soon as I heard that I knew I had to put it in! **

**The new chapter of Silvaticus is now up as well. **

**Tell me what you think of the new chapter! You can consider it a Christmas present to me. LOL**


	7. Chapter 7

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 7

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He finally knew where it was. Voldemort accidentally let it slip while he was thinking about the Horcruxes locations. They had to get into Hogwarts somehow. As Harry came out of it, he opened his eyes to see Ron sitting there by himself.

"Ron, where's Hermione?" asked Harry.

"She said she had to go to the bathroom."

"When was that?"

"That's what I was wondering about…it's been a little bit. But I didn't want to just leave you here like this."

Harry and Ron didn't even have enough time to move their legs when it happened. Ron was hit with a stunning spell first from behind. Harry barely had enough time to move his hand towards his wand when he was hit directly in the chest and then everything went black.

The thing he could see were five fuzzy outlines standing around him and another outline on the ground in front of him. He couldn't move his body not even an inch. He couldn't even see. Harry could feel his glasses on his face but he couldn't understand why he ha no vision. He figured they used "Petrificus Totalus" in order to immobolize them but didn't know what they did to make him blind.

He could clearly hear a familiar voice talking to someone in the distance but he still couldn't make it out. What the bloody hell is going on?

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"Collect?" said Hermione "Collect on what? I didn't trick you! I gave you everything that I have that's of worth."

She couldn't believe this was happening. How was she supposed to convince someone like him that she's not trying to trick him?

"Yes, sweetheart. I decided that I would be getting more involved with your 'quest.' Especially, if this quest of yours is going to be giving you access to things such as the Lestranges vault."

"That was a onetime thing. I, - I can't go back in there. We only were able to get in there because of the Polyjuice Potion. There's no way you can go back in after what we did."

Hermione was telling the truth and he knew it. After one break-in, Gringotts would be virtually impenetrable.

"So," he continued unfazed, "where's this locket? I believe you said something else about another object? Where are they?"

He can't have the locket yet! I haven't had a chance to charm it to make it look fixed. If he finds out that I lied about that and that I don't even know where the second object is, he's going to turn us all in. Great job, Hermione!

"I left them somewhere safe for now."

What are you thinking Hermione! He's not going to fall for that. No sooner did she think this when Scabior responded.

"Left it where exactly?"

"The Forest of Dean. I hid it when we heard you enter our wards."

"You've got to be jok -." started Scabior, "Why are you lying to me? There's no way you've could've hid it there without me knowin'. I've been tracking you ever since I smelt that perfume of yours."

Hermione just stood there, in the center of her lies trying to find her way out again. There was no talking to this man. When it came to money…he wouldn't hear of it.

"Fine." she said sounding resigned, "I've hidden it in this forest before I went to meet you."

"Show me." he said in a tone as if he was daring her to do it.

Scabior pointed his wand at Hermione and motioned for her to start walking. She turned around and headed into the woods with the callous man following.

They traipsed deeper and deeper into the forest, and Hermione couldn't help but feel some form of déjà vu back to her fifth year in Hogwarts when she tried to fool Delores Umbridge in the same way.

Only this time around there was no Harry or Grawp waiting in the woods to aide her. Fear began to enter her body when she realized she was all alone with a particularly angry Snatcher.

"I've had enough of this," said Scabior, "You don't 'ave the objects do you?"

"No! No, I do! I – I, just have to mend them," Hermione finally admitted.

Scabior began walking towards her with a look she wasn't familiar with. She had never seen him like this before and she could feel her stomach twist in knots with every step he took.

The moon light seemed to gleam off of his blue/grey eyes. He was standing close enough to her now that she could feel his breath on her face.

"You're one hell of a liar, you are. And a little sneak." he said.

A minute passed while they just stood there staring at one another. He seemed to be debating something over in his mind while looking into her eyes.

Then he quickly muttered, "Nox," and the two were immersed in complete darkness.

She knew he hadn't left her there alone because she could still feel his hot breath coming in waves on her face. It was a strange feeling.

Scabior was now panting harder than he was before. Hermione was taken aback when she felt his fingers intertwining themselves in her wild strands of hair. Without warning, his grip tightened around her locks in his fist and she found herself being pulled forward.

Standing even closer to him than before he said, "I could kill you right where you stand and no one would stop me from collecting on your pretty corpse."

"I'm bloody tired of your bleeding little games," he continued, "Now; I want to see those items of yours."

Her hands couldn't move fast enough to her bag. His strong hands refused to release her hair as she searched her bag for the locket. Wrenching the locket out of the purse, she swung it in front of his face hoping he could see her proof in the darkness.

"Here, here it is. But I need to still mend it." stuttered Hermione.

His hand never relinquished its hold on her hair, when she felt the other one move forward to yank the locket out of her trembling hand and examine it.

Scabior shoved the locket in her face and said, "What the bloody hell did you do to it? It's all cracked."

"I can fix – "

"Where's the other object?" he asked ignoring her words.

"It broke when I apparated," Hermione said lying.

That's when he dug his nails into her scalp while shaking her head and said, "Stop bloody lyin' to me."

Feeling the pain increase with every yank she responded, "I don't have it yet! We were going to get it in a couple of days!"

Hermione stood there waiting for a response from the cold Snatcher but there was none. The pair just stood there in the darkness; the chilly air was beginning to burn her face.

"Were you now?" he finally said as his breath returned to her face once again.

Unexpectedly, Hermione felt his lips roughly crashing against hers in a sloppy, brief moment of lust.

He broke apart from her and said against her mouth, "If you lie or try and fool me again I'll be doing more than killin' you next time."

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**A/N:**

**Lemon! Finally right! LOL**

**It definitely wasn't a romantic sort of lemon. Sorry if it disappointed anyone. **

**Their relationship will change in time but he will always be some sort of a crook. He's a bit of a pirate. **

**Let me know what you guys think about the story plot and review. Or just wish me a Merry Christmas!**

**I WILL be posting throughout the holidays!**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! **

let them know that Voldemort's accidentally revealed where his next Horcrux was; Hogwarts. Ron got up as if to leave and head there straight away.

"We can't leave," she thought. "Scabior will hunt us down before we can even get there. I need at least one more night."

"Wait! Wait! We can't just leave! We haven't got a plan, we need to-"

Harry wouldn't hear of it though stating that they needed to get to Hogsmeade at least and then decide on a plan of action. He took out the Invisibility Cloak and motioned to her to get inside.

Hermione tried one more time, "But we don't really fit –"

"It'll be dark, no one's going to notice our feet."

She had lost her battle. Hermione knew she was running out of time when she got under that cloak.

.0.

I can't believe this is happening again. They were being chased by Dementors and Death Eaters and are now hiding in the Hog's Head. As soon as they entered Hogsmeade she heard the screaming of the Caterwauling Charm. Harry and Ron were talking with Aberforth and she thought it would be best to send Scabior a message and told him to be ready to Apparate as soon as possible into the Hog's Head pub.

Hermione knew what was going to happen. They were heading into Hogwarts and look for the last Horcrux.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 8

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Scabior released her scalp from his tight grip and took a step back as if to appraise her worth.

"Well, let's have it then," He said.

Hermione stared at him stupidly for a second and said, "You want me to fix it now?"

He raised his hands in the air and waved them around impatiently, "No time like the present."

_Right, Hermione. Act Now!_

"I'll need a wand then." Hermione said waiting to see if he would take the bait.

The Snatcher seemed to give her a funny look for quite some time before speaking to her again.

"How 'bout you tell me the incantation and I'll try it out." He said.

She gave a sigh of frustration and shook her head before answering, "It won't work that way. It's going to take some time and I already know how to perform the spell."

Ignoring her last comment he added with a smirk on his face, "I have an idea," as he walked towards her and circled her slowly.

Hermione stood there with her legs rooted to the forest floor terrified of what he might make her do this time. She could hear the twigs and branches crunching underneath his boots as he made his way to stand behind her.

"I'll tell you what," he said next to her ear, "I'll let you touch my wand for a little while if you really want to, my lovely."

Disgusted, Hermione flinched away from him and attempted to step forward only to be held in place by his firm grip. She tried shaking off his hands but to no avail; he was much stronger than he appeared.

"Do. Not. Move." He commanded and Hermione instantly stilled.

She had spent enough time with him during these meetings to notice the changes in his tones; he was ready to strike.

Knowing she wouldn't run off, Scabior let his grip on her slack and levitated the locket several feet in front of them and lowered it to the ground. He then placed his wand in her right hand but remained standing behind her. Hermione dared not move just yet because she knew he had a blade on him; she had seen it glitter in the moon light before.

The Snatcher then raised his left hand and placed it on her hip gripping it tightly, while the other gripped her wand hand.

"Say the incantation," he said, "And it better not be no bloody 'Reparo' neither."

_Hermione knew that she was going to have to give it a try. She had seen the simple fixing charm once before and it was highly recommended by __'__Hogwarts A History__' but she knew it wouldn't work for this. _

_But what was she supposed__ to say? __I can't fix it right now because I'm on a mission to destroy your master. Oh, and by the way, I probably can't fix this anyway because it used to contain a soul fragment of You-Know-Who. _

_Ignoring her thoughts she muttered, "F__igere," but nothing happened._

_She could feel his frustration radiating off of his body as he tighten his hold on her wrist when he saw that the spell didn't work._

_"You don't know how to fix it do you?" he asked her already knowing the answer. _

_"I told you that I was going to fix it. I never said that I knew how." Hermione bristled. _

_Pulling her hips closer to his with his left hand he said into her ear, "__You're starting to grow on me, beautiful."_

_Hermione was trying her best to ignore his come-ons and said, "You have no reason to doubt me. I've already given you a majority of your money."_

"I've only survived this long because I doubt everyone, sweethear'." He said with a tone of finality.

Scabior released his grip on her and moved to rest against a nearby tree. Feeling his body leave hers, she walked forward, picked up the locket and decided that in order to get out of this she needed to convince him to trust her somehow. They needed to get out of here and continue with their quest as soon as possible.

Hoping her Gryffindor courage would eventually show up she walked right up to him and dangled the locket in front of his face.

"I can't guarantee that I can fix it but I can duplicate it and you would be able to sell those instead."

His eyes perked up towards her in interest but stayed silent waiting for her to continue.

"The only thing I need is for you to understand that I can't do that charm right now but I will. I can't tell you why or why not but you have my word." _God, I hoped that worked._

"You give me your word, do 'ya?" he said looking rather unimpressed by her small speech.

"I'd rather you give me something else," he said with a smirk on his face.

Hermione couldn't help to suppress a shudder but didn't utter a word in fear that he would demand more 'requests' if she protested.

"I'll tell ya' what, beautiful," he started again, "I'll give you as much time as you need but I'm going to need something for interest."

Upon saying this, Hermione noticed he started to walk away from the tree and begin towards her. Her stomach began churning and she could feel herself sweating in anticipation of his next action.

"I want a kiss for everyday you can't fix or duplicate that bleedin' thing," he said ignoring her look of protest.

"Only, with every day that passes you will have to increase your payment to another physically demandin' action." With that he gave her a wink but continued.

"I'll give you seven days. If you don't fix it or if you refuse me by the end of the seven days then I'll be turnin' you and your little friends in. And I do hate to throw away my goods, darlin'."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. _A kiss for every day that went by but we both know that he will want more and more every time!_ Hermione just stood there staring at him for what felt like the longest time and knew there was no way out of this; he had that look on his face again. _What else is new? This man's about as sneaky as it gets. He tops Mundungus Fletcher in my books._

"Fine," she relented after what seemed like hours, "It's not like a have a choice."

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Actually, little did she know, she did have a choice. Scabior knew she had been playing games with him for quite some time now and was waiting for his turn to join the game. He wasn't going to really force her to do anything sexual unless he was desperate.

_Not_ _that she was unattractive! _He just didn't like to get involved with his catches. They were good fun for a couple of shags, even if they were unwilling, but she was the Mudblood friend of Harry Potter and he didn't want to scratch her up one bit if he was going to sell her.

Taking a moment to appraise his catch, he was able to get a good look at her face for the first time. She had the most ridiculous hair he had ever seen on a witch next to Bellatrix Lestrange; it was even wilder than his at times. She had creamy skin that made her look washed-out compared to her brown hair color but he didn't mind. What he enjoyed most were her eyes. _Almond shaped; the color of chestnuts._

The little chit, was just that, little. She was no more than 5'6'' at 115 pounds soaking wet but he still enjoyed looking at her figure. Her breasts were perky and he could clearly see the outline of her nipples through her shirt in this cold weather. Seeing this made him instantly aroused. His mind began wandering towards thoughts of her stark naked in the freezing cold letting him do everything and anything he wanted to her young body.

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_Why is he staring at me like that? _That's when she noticed it. The man had a raging hard-on and he was panting heavily while staring at her chest. She could see his member pressing against the fabric of his plaid pants almost as if it was trying to get out on its own. Hermione had never felt so exposed in her entire life than at that moment. _What if he wants me to start 'paying' him now?_

She had never been in this situation and she was unsure of what to do next. She was afraid that any movement or any gesture she might make would send him over the edge. Hermione certainly didn't want her first time to be with some random, wannabe Death Eater, in the middle of a wizarding war.

Hermione didn't have even time to react, and soon she was staring into his eyes which was now inches away from hers. He leaned forward, smelling her hair that lay in the crook of her neck and intertwined his fingers in it.

Before she knew what was happening, she was pulled into a crushing kiss. _If you can call it that; he's practically molesting me. _Scabior now had both of his hands in her hair and attempted to deepen the kiss and Hermione began to respond timidly to his touch.

They had been kissing for around three minutes when Scabior pulled away. Thinking he was done with her, Hermione began to step back only to be held in place by his strong arms.

"Open your mouth," he demanded loudly.

All she could do was stand there stupidly, she wasn't sure what he meant but she didn't think she would like it.

"Open it. Open your mouth," he commanded of her once again.

Tentatively, she opened her mouth slightly and his lips crashed towards hers once again. Hermione opened her eyes in shock as she felt his velvety tongue dancing around hers eagerly. His tongue seemed to have a mind of its own as it lapped at hers.

Scabior pulled back only for a second to trace the outline of her bottom lip with his tongue; teasing her. Hermione felt a warm, tingling sensation beginning in her stomach that started to travel between her legs. She instinctually locked her legs at her knee caps but that wouldn't subside her ever growing arousal.

He grabbed her at her waist with his left arm and pulled her close to his body as his right hand traveled to her left breast. She could feel him grinding himself against her while his hand circled her nipple through her shirt. Hermione felt like she was going to lose all restraints that she had and give in to him right there.

Suddenly, it ended. He pulled away from her so quickly that she was almost sent backwards on her bum.

"That's kiss number one. You have six more days seein as you used up your first attempt a little bit ago. Get some rest because you're goin' to need it for tomorrow, my lovely." He said with amusement dancing in his eyes.

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**A/N:**

**Christmas Lemons! Hope you guys like your present. It's a fairly large chapter. **

**I wanted to give you guys a sneak peek at their ongoing tumultuous relationship and how intense it will be. :P**

**Yes…Scabior has been a bad boy with his previous female catches. I didn't think it was realistic that a man wouldn't feel tempted to have his way with a woman in the middle of nowhere. Especially because of whom he works for. **

**I decided to use italics for Hermione's thoughts so my lovely readers would have a better experience. It's something that's a personal pet-peeve of mine as a reader but I hadn't noticed this as a writer. Go figure! Thanks to Jamberine! **

**Let me know what you guys thought. I hope everyone had a happy and safe Christmas. Thanks for all of the support.**

**Get to reviewin'! **


	9. Chapter 9

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 9

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Hermione reluctantly walked back to camp and met up with her friends who she still couldn't find the courage to tell the truth. Ron managed to think the Snatchers had tracked them somehow and she just went with it. What was she supposed to say? That she was trying to work with a petty thief and kidnapper? She wasn't sure how to explain the situation or her motives.

She didn't sleep well that first night knowing that they were being watched the entire time. Hermione could feel his eyes on her body even when she was asleep. Every time she would wake up to confirm her suspicions she would see him sitting with his group just watching her. The next morning she woke up with the sound of feet rustling about around her in a hurry.

"Wake up beautiful. I believe this is day two so I suggest you get started." He said and turned to walk away.

Looking up at Scabior she said, "Stop it."

"Excuse me?" he said turning back towards her.

"I said stop it. Stop calling me beautiful."

He paused at her and looked at her curiously and said, "Would you rather I call you ugly?"

"If you want me to go through with the deal I want you to stop calling me these names. They're disgusting and crude."

"I thought you would find them endearing my pet." He said as he stepped closer to her, "Besides, your days of bargaining are over."

Afraid that Harry or Ron might over hear the conversation she ended it quickly by walking away claiming she wanted to get started on the locket. _I'd do anything to get away from that man! _As soon as the words came into her mind, she had a sickening knot that twisted her stomach like a rag. _Why did she feel guilty saying that?_

The day went by more quickly than she anticipated and she wasn't even close to repairing the blasted locket. She was already running out of spells and it was only the second day_! I'm probably going to have to just replicated them and save us some time. _She took a look around her and saw their motley group of people were scattered around doing nothing in particular.

"Thinking of somethin'?"

The sound made her practically jump out of her skin as she spun around to see Scabior standing behind her. She took a moment to look at him and noticed he didn't have his usual smirk in place and looked rather peaky.

"Are you ill?" she asked him.

"Jus' feelin' a bit under the weather. Nothing to worry your little head about."

He walked around her and picked up the locket and said, "I see there's been no improvement since last night then."

Scabior's eyes went from the locket to Hermione and looked at her curiously.

"Ya' know, I'm startin' to think that you're doin' all of this just to spend more time with me." He said with a smirk on his face.

"I – I am doing no such thing. Don't be ridiculous. Anyway, I'm going to have to duplicate them. I can have it done by tonight and you'll have your pay."

"Not so fast darlin'. If I recall correctly, you've already made an attempt on fixin the locket which means you owe me a payment already."

"No! That's not what we agreed on! You said I would have to 'pay' you once a day. Not once every time I try a new method."

"Did I say that? I'm not so sure about that beautiful. I don't recall agreeing to that sweetie." He said with a grin on his face.

Hermione knew what she had heard the night before and was positive that they had agreed on once a day. She was tired of all of this nonsense. She needed to get to Harry and Ron so that they could apparate. Almost as if he was using Occlumency on Hermione, Scabior grabbed her by her forearm tightly.

"Thinkin' of gettin' out of this one? How would your little friends like to hear about how you've been payin' me for Harry's capture? How would that look, do ya' think? They might get the impression that you're sellin' them out, darling'"

"Y – You. They wouldn't believe that. They wouldn't believe you over me."

"Really now? Even after I tell them that you've been talkin' with me ever since Malfoy Manor?"

Hermione didn't know what to say to him. Her mind was beginning to betray her and she was unsure what to believe. _Would her friends trust her opinion or not? They've been through so much; they might take it badly. _She felt herself being pulled and came back to reality to find herself in their tent alone with Scabior.

He roughly shoved her onto a cot and said, "It's time to pay your next installment."

She felt herself panicking. Hermione didn't think he would jump to sex this quickly; even as he began to climb on top of her. He placed both arms on either side of her head boxing her in and leaned close to her face and began kissing her.

_This kiss was different. Much different than the last one. _The kiss that Scabior was now planting on Hermione's lips was full of passion. It was as if he needed to feel her lips against his; like his life depended on it. Soon, she could feel him grinding his hips against her as his hands traveled to the hem of her pants.

He quickly undid her buttons and slid his hand inside pushing them down as he went. _I feel like such a slut!_ Hermione couldn't help but feel around as his hand rubbed against her through her panties.

"You're enjoying this, my lovely. You're so hot down here." He said with a raspy voice looking down at her covered pussy.

His breath was coming in quicker shorter gasps as he began to pull down the hem of her panties.

"Scabior! Mate, come quick. The ginger one escaped." The pair could both hear the yells of the Snatchers outside the tent.

Scabior growled in frustration as he pushed himself off of her and said, "Don't you move."

As soon as he left the tent, she heard the sound of a scuffle and yanked her pants back up and waited before following the Snatcher.

"Mione, c'mon. We need to get outta of here." Ron said.

Harry and Ron had taken down the Snatchers in what appeared to be a carefully and well executed plan. She looked around and saw Scabior pinned down to the ground muttering curse words under his breath. Hermione looked back up at her friends and knew something was wrong. I should be happy to get out of here. Move your legs, Hermione! Why aren't I moving?

She looked back down at Scabior's blue/grey eyes and knew why she didn't want to leave. For the first time, she was sexually attracted to a man; not a boy. She had grown up in a very conservative, upper middle class family and the option to date never arose before. She was intrigued by Scabior because with him, she was allowed to feel lust without being ashamed of it. _Even though I would never tell him that._

"Mione! Bloody hell, let's go!" exclaimed Ron.

Harry had been looking around during his friends exchange; this was too easy. It was like they forgot something.

"Greyback! We forgot about him." Harry said out loud.

"Where is he?" Ron asked.

"You mean, you two didn't take him into account before you did this?" Hermione asked them angrily.

They wouldn't be able to get far. Knowing the werewolf, he was around there lurking, waiting to make his move. He had been relatively quiet during the whole take down and it would only be a matter of time before he made his presence known.

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**A/N:**

**Happy New Year everybody! Sorry it took so bloody long to post this one. Had tons of family over and it's been chaotic to say the least.**

**Scabiorsnatchedme: I surrender! Here's the new chapter as promised. LOL**

**Wanted to say sorry if there are any spelling errors because I didn't check this one with a fine tooth comb. Sooooo tired. **

**Hermione has finally admitted she has feelings for Scabior but sorry for those who were hoping for a love fest! I wanted her to have the same feelings for him that most of us had when we first saw Scabior for ourselves. LUST! Don't worry…that will change I promise.**

**Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing, adding to favs and so on!**

**Let me know what you think of the new one guys. Go review! **


	10. Chapter 10

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 10

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There was no sound emanating from the woods that surrounded them. Hermione was starting to worry as she looked over at the sun setting on the multi-colored skyline. Here she was, trying to locate a werewolf who was hiding waiting to attack and about to fight half-dozen angry Snatchers who looked as if their immobilization was wearing off.

"I can't believe we didn't think of that bloody wolf!" Ron said with his wand pointed out in front of him.

Harry seemed to be the calmest out of the three of them; moving in a clockwise position checking for any signs of Greyback.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled as she saw Greyback running out of the bushes to the left of her dear friend at a break neck speed. The werewolf didn't seem to notice Ron or Hermione as he had his solely fixated on The Chosen One. However, Ron was the one who seemed to re-act the quickest and cast Petrificus Totalus on the deranged Death Eater. He fell to the floor with a sickening thud that seemed to make the earth beneath Hermione's feet quake under the werewolf's immense weight.

"Incarcerous!" Hermione said pointing her wand at Greyback and he was instantly bound by ropes. The three of them all dragged Greyback over to the rest of the group and looked at each other for a minute.

"We better get going before the spells wear off." Harry said.

"Wh – what about our things?" Hermione asked.

"Don't worry about it. Ron got it all sorted out. He was brilliant really." Harry continued.

"Really?" Hermione asked shocked.

"Again with the look of shock! Is it really that hard to believe that I can accomplish something?" Ron countered jokingly.

The two boys started to make their way to the edge of the lake in order to apparate and Hermione felt herself beginning to panic. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out some words that she regretted instantly.

"No! We can't leave. What about Scabior?"

Harry and Ron seemed to stop in mid-step and slowly turned back towards her. She couldn't stand to look them in the eyes at that moment; she was far too embarrassed. Hermione could feel her neck and face getting hot and was sure she was blushing.

"I – I. I only mean, what about the payment?" Hermione said tentatively.

"Payment? What payment?" asked Ron.

"The payment that he's been holding us captive for, Ronald. What else could I be possibly talking about?" Hermione argued.

"Well, let's see," Ron said walking back towards her, "you could be talking about the fact that you've been following that creep around for the past two days like a bloody puppy dog!" Ron yelled.

"H –How dare you! How dare you insinuate that there's something going on between me and some stupid Snatcher!"

"Then why did he bring you into the tent earlier? You're going to stand there and tell me that nothing happened! You two were in there over a half hour!"

_I can't believe this is happening right now! Why can't he ever just leave things alone!_ Before she could voice her opinion, she felt a wand tip against her throat.

"You even move an inch, ginger, and your girlfriend is going to get slashed open." She heard Scabior say in her ear. 

Hermione stood completely still as she heard a couple other Snatchers being released from their magical binding. Soon, they were once again surrounded by the men her friends had gone through so much trouble to take down. Ron began to struggle against them in an effort to escape but it was useless.

"What's wrong, ginger? You mad 'cause you wanted to be the first one to make her as wet as I did?" Scabior said to Ron.

Hermione could practically feel Scabior smirking as he said it; relishing in the anger that seemed to be radiating off of Ron. She looked over at Harry who seemed to have gone quietly without much resistance. He was still looking at Hermione quizzically and Hermione didn't like. _I know that look. Harry is suspicious of me now! He really thinks there's something going on. I mean, what happened in the tent and those other times in the forest was only for payment. I didn't enjoy being felt up. _That's when it hit her. _I did like it! I'm a SLUT! _

Hermione was grateful to see she was being led back into the tent by Scabior. She didn't think she had the strength or courage to face her friends tonight. Hermione began to feel excitement rush back into her body as she looked at the bed that she was about to lose her virginity only moments ago. The feeling soon faded as she felt Scabior direct her towards a beam that appeared to holding the tent up in the center and tied her to it. The Snatcher didn't even look her in the face as he turned around and disappeared behind the partition that separated the rooms. _Great! Now, they're all mad at me! _

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**A/N:**

**Long time, no see! I know it's been a quick minute since I've posted anything but I've been incredibly busy with work and the new semester at college starting back up this past week. From now on I should be able to post at least 1 to 2 fics a week. **

_**FYI: Any updates about my fanfictions are going to be posted in my profile page. It's going to be in bold writing stating when I'm going to be able to load a new chapter. **_

**This one was a little short compared to my other ones but I wanted this story to be reasonably long seeing as they only need to destroy the cup and they need to retrieve Ravenclaw's Diadem. **

**Let me know what you guys think of the new chapter! Have a safe three day weekend! **


	11. Chapter 11

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 11

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Hermione was terribly uncomfortable having been strung up to the poll and was having great difficulty falling asleep. Only a few hours have passed since Harry and Ron's botched escape and Hermione was afraid to face her friends once again. Ron was convinced that something was going on between her and Scabior. _Not that's a lie but it's not like we're a couple or anything…not after last night anyway._

No doubt Ron had done an amazing job by convincing Harry that she's a traitor for "consorting with the enemy." She was used to this behavior from Ron. There has been some noticeable change since he came back after their first fight but there were still some obvious issues that needed to be worked out.

She had never felt this alone during their entire journey than she did right now. She was isolated from everything and everyone including Scabior. As soon as he tied her up he went straight to sleep without another word. _This wouldn't have ended up this had I not been stupid enough to have fallen for Scabior's ridiculous lies._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Scabior muttering to him angrily as he shook off his covers and grabbed his wand off of the nightstand. Hermione was still nervous about facing him and pretended to have fallen asleep and remained deathly still. Her heart began to beat fiercely in her chest as she heard his heavy cross the floor and make their way towards her.

"I know you're awake. You've been keepin' me up all bloody night with your constant fidgetin." Scabior said in a hushed tone.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Hermione hesitantly opened her eyes to reveal a rather annoyed looking Snatcher with blood shot eyes. He was currently crouched down with his hands curled on either leg. _Was he still angry?_ She didn't realize that she hadn't been face to face with the man since the moment they shared on his bed the previous day. Suddenly, he reached behind her neck with his right hand and pulled her forward and began kissing her. The kiss grew deeper as he pulled himself onto his knees and wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Unable to keep her balance under his weight, Hermione felt herself falling to the ground with Scabior still on top of her. She didn't have any time to respond as she felt his hard hands come up to the hem of pants pulling them down to her ankles. He quickly began stroking her pussy through her panties making her stop resisting him instantly but instead she found herself spreading her legs for him.

Scabior seemed to appreciate the gesture by giving her a toothy grin as he yanked her panties down and shoved them and her pants off leaving her half naked. Hermione was not used to feeling this exposed before and it made her nervous but she couldn't help feeling aroused as she watched the man before her peel his pants down to reveal a rather large and thick member. Looking back up to Scabior, she felt her face heat up in embarrassment since she was caught ogling his rather healthy erection.

"I've been dying to feel the inside of you since I smelt your perfume." He said in a husky voice reeking of lust.

She ignored the pain as he pushed deep inside of her making her moan out loud.

"Hermione," Scabior began groaning as he pumped in and out of her at a quickened pace.

"Hermione," he said loudly repeatedly.

She turned to face him and she couldn't believe her eyes. Here crouched before her, was a fully-clothed Scabior staring at her with a confused look on her face.

"Bloody hell, I was practically yellin' and nothin'," he said with a smile on his face, "You were miles away that time darlin."

Too stunned for words, Hermione just sat there staring at him stupidly with her mouth still open with shock. _It felt so real. This is what I get for not being interested in boys when I was younger…I've gone boy crazy at the age of 17! Although, in my dream he was no boy that much is certain._

"Anyway," she heard him say, "you should get some sleep finally. You've got an early start tomorrow and I have a debt yet to be paid."

He sauntered away with a triumphant look on his face and got back into bed. Hermione sat there mulling over the idea of actually bedding that man. She felt some shame in her thoughts because she had always hoped that she would be in love with the first man that she would give herself to. Thinking back to her daydream she couldn't help but think that maybe she could get over her worries if it meant having that type of passion. Hermione began trying to force herself to get comfortable and surprisingly fell asleep rather quickly. Her last thoughts were of that smarmy man fast asleep in the cot next to her and wondering how big he actually was.

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**A/N:**

**LOL! Lemon! Kinda. I know that I sort of ripped some of you guys off being that it was a day dream after all but I thought it was funny. I wanted to give you guys a little sneak peek without losing the credibility of my story. **

**Let me know what you guys think! Any suggestions or comment are welcome. I would love to get to 100 reviews. It's funny though…I have tons of people who added the story to favs and my reviews aren't matching those numbers. **

**So be a kind and fair reader and give me a review..even if it's tiny! Thanks you guys! **


	12. Chapter 12

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 12

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The next day came and went without much excitement. Hermione wasn't allowed to see her friend as she was still suspected in Ron and Harry's botched escape. So without so much as a word being said, Scabior untied and sent her straight to work on duplicating the locket. Hermione knew that there was no real chance of mending an object that once had dark magic placed on it. After spending half the day trying as many charms as she could think of, she was finally able to re-create a duplicate of Slytherin's Locket. Hermione felt quite proud of herself as she saw Scabior's eyes widen in surprise as she compared the two in his calloused palms. That feeling of pride changed to anger as he had her tied up and practically thrown back into the tent by one of his men.

The rest of the night went by quickly for Hermione as she finally was able to get some sleep. She woke with a start and began scanning the room. Seeing no one else in the room, she had no choice but to sit and wait for Scabior to wake up. The minutes passed her slowly as she waited impatiently still tied up against the pole. _I can't take it anymore._ With that thought, Hermione started to shift her body weight to her left side and craned her neck to try and see if Scabior was awake yet. After some struggling, she was able to see that her captor's cot was empty. _He's not even here!_ Annoyed, she sat back in her original position with a huff which was quickly followed by a sigh.

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_Depressing._ Was the only thought that entered Scabior's mind as he took in all of the poor souls in Diagon. Not too many people wanted to bother with him since he was recognized as a Snatcher and would walk or run away, in some cases, as quickly as they could. _I know that stinking mess Fletcher comes here sometimes._ _That git's always got somethin' worth pawnin'._ After deciding he wasn't being followed he made his way toward his destination hoping to get it over with as painlessly as possible. Walking down Knockturn Alley, Scabior couldn't help but feel anxious as he came closer to his goal.

Stopping around the corner, he nervously ran his hand through his hair and began looking around wondering if he should just leave. _He would never buy this. I'm gonna get screwed over. _Before he could change his mind, he walked into Borgin & Burkes and straight up to the counter and waited. Soon, a mangy looking man came from the back with a toothy grin on his face which changed upon seeing who was in his store.

"What do you want? I told you that you were not allowed to enter my shop until you paid back your debt," Borgin said with resentment.

"I've brought you somethin'. Consider it a down payment." Scabior responded as he tossed Slytherin's Locket on the glass counter.

The old man picked up the locket and began to examine it greedily. Scabior had never seen Borgin's eyes so transfixed on an object like this before but pushed it out of his mind. _I hope this works. I'm bloody screwed if it don't. _

"Yes…this'll do just fine for half of your payment. The other half you have until the end of the month." Borgin said as he pushed the locket into a black box and slammed the lid shut.

Relieved that the old man fell for it, Scabior began to make his way out of the shop when he heard his name being called.

"You better not be thinking of some way to be skipping on your payment boy! Especially if you want the shop." Borgin said in finality.

"Of course not. I wouldn't dream of it, Father. After all, I wouldn't bite the hand that feeds." Scabior said with a smirk on his face as he apparated on the spot.

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**A/N:**

**Sorry it took so damn long but here it is!**

**I was trying to figure out a way to make a smooth transition into the back plot of the story. Hope you liked it!**

**I want more reviews people! LOL Any form of feedback is lovely. Positive, Negative, Luke-warm. It's just nice to hear any and all types of criticism…it truly helps!**

**Next chapter has already been started. **


	13. Chapter 13

Hello Beautiful

Chapter 13

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She hadn't seen him this happy before. It worried her. _I hope he hasn't come up with some new scheme again. I don't think I could handle much more of this. _

"You're lucky it worked, darlin'. Now, didn't you say you had more money on the way?" Scabior asked.

"More money? No. I said I could get more items for you." Hermione corrected.

"Listen, don't start gettin' snooty wit' me, love. I'm in no mood for your shit today." He countered.

"I'm not being snooty," huffed Hermione, "I'm stating a fact. I don't have money, and all I have to offer you are items."

The young witch's frustration with her situation, seemed to be growing immensely as the days passed her. Hermione refused to meet her captor's eyes in fear of betraying her true feelings.

_I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I let him touch me like that, _she thought as she stared at her shoe laces.

Hermione eyes remained trained on her laces until she was certain he had enough of waiting for a response. He left the tent without another word. Her thoughts began to drift to the size of the tent. She had never really noticed how large it truly was. There were two rooms, the one which was diagonally 15 ft from her was the room Scabior slept in.

_I wonder who's room this is? _Hermione thought looking to the room directly to her right.

Staring at the opening of Scabior's room, she thought back to that day, Hermione couldn't help but cringe at how she had conducted herself.

_Especially given our current situation, _she thought scolding herself.

Even after everything that's happened, Hermione couldn't help but wonder why Scabior was acting so distant from her lately. She noticed that he barely made eye contant unless he was interrogating her for one reason or another.

_Is it something I said? Why should I bloody care anyway! _

She was thrown out of her reverie, when she heard some of the Snatchers arguing with Scabior about a payment. The voices drew close enough to the tent until Hermione was finally able to make out some of the conversation.

"'-bloody stupid or somethin'? We know your hiding somethin' from us, you better do us right, Scabior!" threatened one Snatcher as others agreed.

"I tol' you dolts already," responded Scabior, "I have nothin' to 'ide from you."

There was no warning as the flap to the tent flung open, and in stormed Scabior running a hand through his hair. He paced back and forth, making the captive witch become slightly nauseous as he watched him walk about.

"Something wrong?" Hermione asked pretending not to have overheard the conversation. Scabior didn't seem to have heard her as he walked into his room, and out of sight.

_Really?_ She thought frustrated as she tried to get comfortable against the beam.

Hermione was extremely tired. As soon as she would start to fall asleep, she would be woken up by the sudden jerk of her heading bobbing and would be woken up.

Suddenly, the light that was emanating from the lamp on the nightstand's went out. Looking around, Hermione determined that Scabior probably decided to get some sleep and tried closing her eyes once again.

Several hours later, the young witch was woken up by the sound of someone rustling through something to her right. Hermione couldn't so much as make out a figure in the pitch black tent, as she squinted her eyes in attempt to locate the source of the noise.

After a few seconds, her eyes were beginning to acclimate to the dark and Hermione was able to see what looked like a man standing near the edge of the bed. Without warning, the figure stopped fussing around with the bed and slowly made his way toward her.

"Well, well, look what we have here," said a slurred voice.

_Oh, no! What is he doing?_ Thought Hermione as she realized who was hovering over her.

The man crouched to meet her eye level, "Look at you, just sitting there. You think you're so smart, but I know better," Scabior said.

Hermione had no choice but to look away, she still was not able to look him in the eyes but his breath reeked of alcohol.

"I – I don't know what you mean?" Hermione stuttered.

"Don't you?" Scabior responded quickly, "I know you have something up your sleeve, you chit."

Within seconds, Scabior's hand were roaming over her entire torso, until they finally rested on her pant pockets. Realizing his intent, Hermione just sat there letting his hands feverishly search her pockets.

"You really don't have anything?" Scabior said in defeat.

"I told you that I didn't have it on me," Hermione responded huffily.

Scabior began stroking her hair, leaned into her and said, "You know, you're actually pretty for a mudblood," and gave her a toothy smile.

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. She turned her head away in an attempt to hide the tears that were now stinging her eyes.

_How could I have thought a Snatcher would be different,_ Hermione thought as her tears blurred her vision.

She then felt a heavy weight slump onto her thighs causing her to look down to see that Scabior had collapsed in a drunken slur. Disgusted, Hermione shook her legs wildly, dropping him off onto his side with a thud.

_I can't believe I let him touch me,_ Hermione thought with distain, _He's a pig. _

After a few minutes of brooding, Hermione could feel her eyes becoming dreary and were still stinging as she finally fell asleep for the night.

The talented witch didn't dream at all that night and woke up to the sounds of pained groans emanating from the ground.

_That is so sad, _Hermione thought amused as he watched Scabior attempt to get up off of the floor.

"Need some help?" Hermione asked cheekily.

Scabior spun around at the sound of her voice and said, "Do you always 'ave to talk so bloody loud?"

She had to stifle a giggle, but this didn't go unnoticed to the Snatcher, who was already in a foul mood. He crawled over to her, never breaking eye contact.

"I think that's the first time you've ever laughed 'round me," he said as he lined his body against hers.

The Snatcher began playing with her hair, twirling it between his fingers, until he snaked his hand around the back of her neck. Before she knew it, Hermione was pulled into a searing kiss, which left her breathless upon being released.

Grinning at her response, Scabior said, "I love it when you breathe like that."

Hermione could feel her blood boil as she looked at this manipulative man before her.

_How dare he! He only did it to get a rise out of me,_ she thought infuriated.

"For your information, the only reason I'm breathing like this is because your breath reeks of alcohol and _vomit_," Hermione hissed, "Which is only fitting, if you ask me."

The two of them just sat there staring at each other for what seemed like hours. Hermione didn't know what to make of his expression, having never seen him like this before. Finally, Scabior rose to his feet without another word and left the tent. She could hear the faint sound of him apparating away, and found herself feeling angry.

_Why should I care if he's angry with me,_ Hermione thought, _after what he said to me last night, I should be the one angry!_

After a few minutes of reasoning with herself, Hermione was finally able to discern her true feelings.

_I like him, _she realized, _I have some stupid, school-girl crush on a Snatcher. _

So many thoughts began running through her head at that moment, but only one of those thoughts seemed to keep returning time and again.

_Brightest witch of her age, my arse._

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**A/N:**

**Hello, my beautiful readers! I'm terribly sorry for not updating for so long. I feel dreadful that I've been neglecting everyone who's been following this story. I have not abandoned it, and I will continue to update new chapters more frequently from now on.**

_**.Yours**_**: I absolutely adored you review. I was so sweet and genuine and it really helped kick me in the ass to write this new chapter. Thank you! **

**So, I wanted to focus more on the progression on their relationship in this chapter. Not just their sexuality but how they perceive each other. **

**I hope none of you are mad at me for having him call her a "Mudblood," but he does refer to her like that in the book, as I recall. If he doesn't, then that is my mistake. However, Snatchers are still fairly racist towards Muggleborns and I wanted to add more tension to their relationship. **

**Despite all of this, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and continue to read, and review this story! I do enjoy reading all of your thoughts…good or bad. **


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Notes_

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My beloved readers, I feel so terrible for not updating but I felt it necessary to inform you all as to the reason. After my last update, my computer caught a virus due to me leaving my email account logged on. My simple lapse in judgment caused me to not have a computer for months. I was on the verge of purchasing a new laptop, until I was able to wipe my current laptop clean. Upon doing that, I lost all my past files. At that point, I had 2 additional chapters written for Hello Beautiful.

Honestly, I lost all hope at that point. I was so frustrated and angry that I couldn't find enough momentum to write. Luckily, I'm feeling up to it now. It's not going to be right away, but I'm getting back into my lovely characters. I just wanted all of you to know that I have not abandoned either of my stories but I wanted to say that I'm sincerely sorry for making you wait so long. Thank you so much! Especially to my oldest story readers, you all have been waiting for the story developments forever!

One final note, I will be keeping you all updated on my profile page under **Story Developments **as I will not add another A/N chapter. Thank you!

You'll be hearing from me again soon,

-AMRLind


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